Last week I went on my very first foodie blind date. Brought together by a similar passion for food, a fellow New Yorker and I decided to meet for a meal. Having never met my foodie friend before, we agreed to meet at a restaurant we have both wanted to try in the W.Village-Choptank. As it turned out, not only is my new friend a foodie, but he is a magician as well. This made for a very interesting and entertaining dining experience. After amazing me with a few card tricks, it was time to explore the menu.

My foodie friend immediately declared that we must try the fried chicken. I of course was not leaving with out sampling their assortment of oysters. And being that we were in a restaurant that focuses on Maryland cuisine, we had to order the crab cake with a side of “boardwalk” fries.

And so our adventure began.

The restaurant was offering four types of oysters. Three east coast and one west. We decided to try them all.

Wawanauks-from Maine, Moon Shuels from Massachusetts, Naked Cowboy form Long Island and little west coaster Shibumi from Washington State.  Each was $3 a piece.

All four types were remarkably fresh, and perfectly chilled. The shucking job was not consistent.  Some slipped out of their shell, while others needed a bit of a tug.

As for the taste: All four were very clean, smooth and not salty. Just how I like my east coasts to be. The Wawanauks and Moon Sheuls were on the bigger side and so they had a lot more meat to them then the Naked Cowboy. From the three east coast oysters, I definitely favored the Wawanauk. As for my little pacific Shibumi, it was the perfect ending to the round. With not much cream, it was meaty and sweet, with a cucumber finish.

The white wine from the Rioja region of Spain beautifully accompanied our oysters

Overall, I found the oysters to be very refreshing and well selected. Size was great.  I will be returning to Choptank.  They are always changing their menu, and no oyster should go unsampled.

Choptank

308-310 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 675-2009

www.choptanknyc.com